School Uniform Care Tips

Where a product has care instructions, you must follow these instructions. We are not liable for any loss or damage in the event that the instructions have not been followed.

Washing: always follow the manufacturer’s garment care guidelines as labeled before washing. It is advisable to wash knitwear inside out.

Ironing: make sure your iron is set to the correct temperature as given on the garment care label. Many school uniform garments are ‘easy care’ and do not need ironing. Printed garments should not be ironed over the printed area.

Tumble drying: always follow the manufacturer’s garment care guidelines as many garments are best left to dry naturally. Never tumble dry a pleated garment – always hang up on a suitable hanger to dry.

Fabric conditioner: do not use fabric conditioner as many garments are specially coated for easy care and fabric conditioner interferes with this process. Check the washing instructions!

Iron-on labels: these do not adhere on stretchy fabrics. Only iron on to garments you can iron and remember to put a layer e.g. a handkerchief, between the clothing and the iron to avoid scorch marks.

Velcro fastenings: never wash a garment with its Velcro fastening unfastened. The material is abrasive and can cause damage to other items of clothing in the wash.

Pilling/ bobbling – a general guide
Knitted goods are prone to pilling, some more than others. The main reason is friction or rubbing against another object and this does not necessarily mean that the garment is faulty. Pilling can be caused by any of the following:-

• Movement against another fabric
• Heat generated by the person when the garment is worn
• Washing the garment at the wrong temperature and/or with other fabrics that will rub against the garment.
• Tumble drying the garment at too high a temperature. This causes the heat to draw out the fibre.

Some garments appear to have ‘fluffed up’ after a short period of wear and this is due to surface fibre from the yarn coming to the surface. The yarn in these cases is slightly hairier than usual and the hairs disappear after a period of wear and washing. If the fibres do not wash away, various devices can be used to remove the excess fibre to enhance the look of the garment. Once the fibre is removed the garment is unlikely to pill again.

Our advice: we find that it is best to turn garments inside out when washing. When pilling occurs it should settle down after washing a number of times.